This page provides links to some of the more detailed and technical background to the project – for those who are interested in such things!
The Previous Organ
The old organ was a “Special Standard” production model built by the Belfast firm of Evans & Barr when the church was completed just before World War II. It was a very poor design and Evans & Barr eventually went bankrupt through producing too many similar poor instruments. Continue reading…
The Decision
In 2009 James Felix, the then organist at All Souls, commissioned a number of reports on the organ and considered a number of options:
- completely refurbishing and restoring the present organ
- building a new organ
- installing a modern digital electronic organ
- restoring the existing organ and adding extra digital stops, creating a ‘hybrid’ instrument
Early Planning
The first decision to be made was the wind pressure. The old organ was on 6″ – which is much too heavy and meant that the smaller pipes were “screaming” as wind was forced through them. The standard wind pressure for the new organ would be only 3″, which would help to ensure that the sound would be less strident, and would give an overall more mellow tone. This pressure is normal for most good quality UK organs. Continue reading…
Final Design Decisions
By the end of 2013 we had worked out which parts of the existing organ could be preserved, and how the Nelson organ would form the basis of the rebuild. Essentially, the Swell (top) keyboard and the Great (lower keyboard) and the Pedal keyboard would each have their own independent sets of pipes. The Swell pipes would be in a large wooden box with louvered doors which open and shut as a pedal is operated, so this department of the organ is capable of very gradual changes in volume as the doors open and shut. Continue reading…
A tale of big surprises, generosity and the saving of some of our musical heritage
We find a console!
Good quality, solid wood, drawstop organ consoles very rarely come onto the market, and after 4 years of searching, we had given up and settled for an old refurbished Compton console, then our luck changed. St George’s Anglican Church in Whyke, Chichester had been left a large amount of money which the Parish decided to spend on a brand new pipe organ, which eventually cost over £400,000. Their ‘old’ console was surplus to requirements, was made of solid medium oak (which matched our casework) and was in relatively good condition and not very old. It was also capable of taking three keyboards. Continue reading…
All Souls Organ 